Phantom Ire
by theirongiant6
Summary: (Discontinued) Yang is a broken girl, with broken dreams, abandoned by everyone she has ever known. When her semblance begins going haywire, and her swirling emotions follow suit, what will become of the fiery blonde and the allies that have left her?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes here!**

 **Well, my fanfiction SNST has 6 chapters and amassed a total of _one_ follower! To that one follower, you rule!**

 **Sadly, though, I think as my first shot at fanfiction ever it was doomed to fail, and so for now, it's stopping. Instead, I am going to focus on Remnants of the Mind, my Jaune-centric fanfiction. I am also, of course, going to focus a LOT on this, if I can! Yang is my favorite character in RWBY and I wanted to make an AU where, because of her injury in Volume 3, Yang is a much more broken individual, and her semblance starts acting up to a much higher degree.**

 **I have no idea where this is going to go yet, but there will be violence. Lots of it. It's Yang, but angrier, and with an even more powerful semblance. _There will be blood._**

 **This goes without saying, I hope, but RWBY VOLUME 3+ SPOILERS.**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 1_**

 **Pains**

* * *

This is a dream. It has to be. Any minute she'll wake up, and forget everything. She'll be on her bunk, tenderly snuggled into her blankets, ready to start another day at Beacon Academy. She's so excited to wake up. To end this dream and continue her life. A growing itch on her right arm interrupts her thought process.

Yang stares out the window, lilac eyes focused on nothing and body nearly completely hidden under a heavy blanket. Times like these were the only times Yang felt nothing at all, and to her, that was true peace. The Yang from only a month ago would have found the idea appalling. She was such an energetic and passionate young woman.

Was.

Yang's eyes flash red and she growls at nothing, eyes forced to focus on what remained of her right arm. Nothing but a bandaged stump. Within moments, the feeling of tranquility is gone, and is replaced with anguish, denial, _anger_. She throws off her blankets and curls up tight, holding her knees with her one and only arm.

Yang's flickering eyes glance to the wall ahead of her, only for a moment before shutting tightly. Her unconscious sister, only a room away from her. What if she wakes up a different person? She saw Pyrrha…

…Would Yang lose her sister too?

At some point, Yang must have started violently sobbing, because her father rushes in and holds her close. With a quivering gasp, Yang breaks down in Taiyang's arms, body trembling and heart pounding in her chest. It's been like this the past few days, hours of total lethargy, followed by minutes of complete emotional collapse. Yang could see in her father's eyes the fear of loss, of losing another so close to him. It only succeeds in making her bawl harder, and grasp at her source of comfort with all the strength she can muster.

"Shhh… It's alright, honey…" He whispers to her, the shake in his voice obvious as he tries to hold back tears of his own. Yang wails, burying her head into her father's chest and trying to calm herself down.

Three days since the attack on Beacon. Yang and Ruby were brought back home immediately. Without the CCT, communications became a scarcity even with those outside of Patch, let alone the entire Kingdom. It's not like Yang particularly cared, though. Her biological mother, then her _mother_ , then her friends, all left her to rot. She can't even write her own name anymore. Everything is gone.

Yang goes limp in Taiyang's arms. She feels herself being picked up, but she no longer cares. Once again, the tears have left her and she imagines her life, if this were a dream. If reality were nothing more than a realistic nightmare. The relief she'd feel when she wakes up and finds her team still together, Pyrrha still alive, her arm still… there.

If only.

Yang stares at the table she just now realizes she's sat in front of. The wood that's seen many more days than her, seen her as a child, seen her not understand that Summer wasn't her real mom, seen her cruelly understand that Summer was never coming back, seen her come back a broken young woman with next to nothing left anymore.

Yang realizes that she's hearing her own name being called. She wearily lifts her head up to see her father frowning and holding her hand.

"H-huh?"

"Yang… I know you're tired, honey, but you need to eat."

"You made food…?" Yang looks down at the table in front of her again, and notices that covering the wood is a bowl of noodles. "Oh. Thanks dad, but I'm not really hungry right now."

She can see the hurt in his eyes, making her sigh softly and look back down at the bowl.

"Okay," she says, dejected. She takes the fork carefully in her hand, drearily smiling at how unnatural it still feels to be in her left hand _. It's the little things._ She starts slowly eating, making Taiyang noticeably brighten up and start eating as well.

Wouldn't this be a funny story to tell, if this were a dream?

Maybe then it would _mean_ something.

* * *

Winter arrived quicker than Yang anticipated. Maybe it was a cold year. Maybe it was always this cold in Patch. Maybe Yang's just never felt so cold in her entire life. Ruby woke up only a few days after the fall of Beacon, but she wasn't any different than before. A little quieter, perhaps, but she was always the same energetic little Rose. Yang thought that'd make her happy, thought she would be relieved that her sister hadn't changed.

It only made her angry.

Ruby almost seemed confused when Yang instinctively flinched at every loud noise, or stared at the news channel for hours, or refused to eat and sleep. It was almost like nothing had ever happened for Ruby. Like nobody had died, like nobody had abandoned her, too.

It all made sense, of course, as she watches the crow outside fly away and hears her father panicking.

 _Ruby was planning to abandon her, too_. She had been since the moment she woke up. She just wanted to plan, to enjoy herself for a month or so, to have the nice nostalgic feeling of being back home. Yang has no more tears left. She goes to sleep for the first time in two days.

Adam meets her there. Ruby, Blake, Weiss, Taiyang, Summer, Raven, Qrow. Those who could protect her. Those who called her family. Those who could stop Adam and save her from her fate.

They watch him kill her, and the smile on Ruby's face lingers in the following darkness. Silver eyes glower into Yang's skull, amber eyes stare at her with hate, two pairs of red eyes watch with disinterest. An array of colors in a land of black, swirling together and ripping apart.

When Yang opens her eyes, it is to see her father by her bedside, typing on his scroll with a deep frown. She smiles for just a brief second, wondering if he was just playing a particularly difficult game, and that everything _really was_ a dream.

Just to have that hope dashed when Yang tries to move her arm. That hurts her more than any nightmare. Why she refuses to sleep until she passes out.

"Ruby left, huh….?" Yang asks with a surprisingly hoarse voice, lilac eyes dull and empty.

Taiyang jumps, nearly dropping his scroll. "You… you knew?"

"I figured it out," Yang replies solemnly.

Her father nervously rubs the back of his head. "Well, she left a note apologizing. But don't worry, apparently the rest of your old team Juniper went with."

Yang nods, curling up under her blankets and wincing at the pins and needles sensation that rushes over her right arm. At first, these phantom sensations terrified her, and during her more restless periods, she swore she could feel tugging sensations, almost as if the dead were interacting with her, trying to pull her in…

She shakes her head, wearily sitting up. "Wait, why're you still here? Shouldn't you go find her? It's dangerous out there without the CCT…"

Taiyang shakes his head. "I can't do that."

"Because of me, right?"

"Yang, what am I supposed to say? I can't get Qrow to answer me, Ozpin's gone, and I can't just leave you here."

Yang frowns, getting out of bed. Taiyang stands with her, setting a hand on her shoulder.

"We can do this, Yang. Just trust that she'll be okay. I'm sure she'll send letters."

"Like those will ever even get here?"

Taiyang sighs and hugs Yang close, whispering. "Just don't leave me too."

Yang sniffles, wrapping her left arm around her father as her eyes flicker red and her blonde hair starts to heat up. "Don't you dare leave me either."

Her father gulps, patting her back as his aura starts to strain from the tighter and tighter hug from his daughter. As her hair starts to burn and her teeth audibly grind, Taiyang pats a bit harder. "Yang, calm down honey. Calm down, I'll never leave you."

"Blake promised, _Summer_ promised, **_Ruby promised._** " Yang's grip gets even tighter and her fiery blonde hair ripples and rises with the flames, an intense heat from her aura causing the wood at her feet to warp and burn.

Taiyang's tears turn to steam as they come, and he clings to his daughter just as tightly now. Yang's flames begin to die down as she sobs, and he lifts her up and runs out of the room to grab one of the many fire extinguishers scattered around the house.

Yang's bed, following her life's example, goes up in flames.

Yang is dropped onto the couch in the living room while her father grabs a fire extinguisher. Her forehead is throbbing with an intense pain, and she falls to the floor on her hand and knees. Sadness wars with utter rage inside her head, and Yang struggles to her feet, teeth unconsciously grinding together. She stumbles to the front door, each step leaving flame in her wake. She opts to slam the door off its hinges with her fist and tumbles outside, clutching her aching skull.

Her semblance only ever got this strong when Yang had gotten severely injured in fights, but she doesn't have a scratch on her and yet she can feel the flames erupting from her form as she staggers away from the very flammable house. Her eyes burn and her breaths become increasingly unstable as she finally collapses, not from exhaustion but from the war in her mind coming to an abrupt end.

Ruby, the last true light in her life, had left her without saying goodbye.

She curls up and sobs, feeling pathetic and weak, even as the trees around her burn to ash.

* * *

Yang stares at the metal arm presented to her, conflicting thoughts threatening to split her mind in two. She wouldn't have to struggle to write, to eat, to do things she could do so easily before this mess. She could start training again, sparring and learning to use her new limb in combat. Hell, she could get into boxing now that Beacon's destroyed. This arm would pack one tough punch, after all. And yet, Yang can't bring herself to put it on. What's the point? There's nothing left for her here but broken dreams and people who have forgotten about her. The world is in shambles, torn by Adam, and the people behind the attack on Beacon, and Atlas, and that damn fool Ozpin up and dying.

Yang pushes the box away from her wordlessly and stand up. "Maybe later. This didn't cost you anything, right?"

Her visibly disheartened father rubs the back of his head, frowning and looking down at the metal arm that he had been so excited to see on his daughter. "It was a gift from Ironwood, so no, it didn't cost me anything."

"Then there's no rush," Yang replies with a small smile, before walking slowly back upstairs. "Thanks anyway, dad."

Yang walks into her room, shuts the door, and sits on her nice new bed. She smiles, looking down at her stump of an arm, then over to her drawer containing her Ember Celica. Why even try, if she's so incredibly outmatched? Outnumbered? With no allies but her own father who would never agree to let her fight regardless? There's no point in even attempting to fight back.

So why did her father have to wave that damn arm around like bait on a fish hook, false hope to feed to his daughter just to make her feel the tiniest bit better for the tiniest amount of time so she'd stop being so clingy and emotional?

It takes Yang a few minutes to realize she's surrounded by flames, and her father is standing in the doorframe, too afraid to step inside, frightened blue locked with furious red.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes here!  
**

 **Whoops, this one ended up being a tiny bit longer. I don't have much else to say, so please enjoy and leave a review if you'd like!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2_**

 **Longings**

* * *

Yang Xiao Long was never the same after the incident at Beacon. It wasn't as if she'd watched someone die like her sister had, it wasn't as if she'd been torn from her team at their weakest moments as Weiss had, it wasn't as if her past had cost the lives of countless, as Blake's had.

She never knew why she felt so empty and dull, when everyone else had been hurt worse than she had. She had lost an arm, of course, but Ironwood and others proved that to be no setback. She vividly remembers every stupid little mistake she's ever made, from endangering her life and her little sister's in a foolish goose-chase, to running in to save someone who would abandon her minutes later.

 _It's a testament to her pigheadedness that she hasn't offed herself yet._

* * *

Yang sits in her father's lap, half asleep and sniffling. For the second time since the fall of Beacon, she nearly burnt down the house. If Taiyang hadn't been watching her like a hawk before, he definitely is now, spending every minute he can with her. Yang would complain about him doing this for her, but the pain in his eyes and tenseness in his arms when Yang so much as squirms reminds her otherwise.

Yang buries her face into her father's chest, a sign that she's finally back in the real world. He starts slowly rubbing her shoulder, letting out a breath he'd been holding for a while. "Want to get some breakfast?"

Yang shakes her head softly, pulling herself up in his lap a bit further. She never felt hungry anymore, not that it really mattered if she did. With a sigh, her father nods and holds her a bit tighter. Yang smiles just a bit at that, kissing Taiyang's cheek and resting her head on his shoulder. Moments like these helped, if only to remind her that there is still one person left in the world for her.

 _It's only a matter of time until he leaves, too._

Taiyang, feeling her aura flare with warmth, shushes her and pets her hair softly. Yang, with no more tears to cry, simply leans against him as the fire in her subsides and she looks up at him. "…Maybe breakfast is a good idea."

Taiyang nods with a frown, still petting her hair. "Alright. Will you be okay here while I cook?"

Yang nods, looking at their surroundings. She's on the living room couch, the house deathly still and silent. How Taiyang survived without his daughters here to keep the place active, she couldn't fathom. Now he was alone again, save for a broken daughter that nearly burnt him alive twice over the past months.

He sets her down and stands up, legs shaky from holding his seventeen-year-old daughter for so long. He weakly smiles at her, a bit brighter at the idea of her eating, and walks to the kitchen. Yang looks down at herself, wondering what she even looked like anymore. She wouldn't dare look in a mirror, and she doubted the lack of training and eating did anything good for her figure. Just one more thing to keep her indoors, though it's not like anyone out there cared what she looked like anyhow. All they'd see is a stump instead of an arm and instantly nothing else about her mattered.

She smirks at that, looking over to the box Taiyang had given to her… however long ago that was. Inside was the solution, a brand new mechanical arm made by the most technologically advanced kingdom on Remnant, just for her. She could train, use her knowledge and learn from her many, many mistakes. Find a new style, even. Learn to fight against people who can kick like Mercury, or dodge like that umbrella girl.

Yang stands and opens the box, taking out the mechanical arm and looking it over. She could paint it, wear cool gloves so nobody notices, and ride off into the sunset on her motorcycle. It's almost too good to be true, and as Yang thinks about it, it really is. She'll never be able to become a huntress again, given how long experts are estimating Beacon will take to rebuild. She'll never see her team again, her sister again, her mother again.

Yang's thoughts are interrupted when Taiyang calls for her from the kitchen. She sets down the arm and slowly walks inside, taking a seat at the table. For some reason, she's a little cheerier now. She doesn't have a plan for the future, but her father is still here, and the option to continue her life, one way or another, is right in her living room.

"You seem chipper this morning," her father says with a smile as he sets down a plate of eggs and toast in front of his daughter and sits beside her with his own food. Yang shrugs in response, laying her head on his shoulder and slowly eating breakfast.

"Hey dad," she says, looking up to him after a few bites. "Can we spar sometime?"

Taiyang's eyebrows threaten to reach his hairline. "Sure! You have to put your new arm on first, though."

Yang nods and keeps eating. "I will."

Taiyang smiles and hugs her tight while she eats. "There's my sunny little dragon. Hey, Bart, er, _Oobleck_ and Port are coming over tonight, want to join us?"

"'Kay," she replies, finishing up and hugging Taiyang's arm tight, but not too tight. "I should probably clean up and stuff, I haven't really looked in a mirror in… a long time."

Taiyang pets her hair and kisses her forehead. "You look great no matter what, you know that."

"I see now how you managed to get in bed with both girls on your team, dad."

He snickers and rubs her hair. "And I'm _not_ the cool dad?"

"You're the best dad in the world."

Taiyang nearly bursts into tears on the spot, but holds back with a soft chuckle and hugs his daughter close. "Go get ready, I'll clean up and we can watch movies until they get here, 'kay?"

"'Kay." Yang stands up and hugs her dad, walking to the bathroom and finally looking at herself.

Pale and starved wouldn't be an entirely inaccurate description. Her fiery blonde hair, once her greatest treasure, is now a mess of tangles and split ends, making her look more like a bright yellow parakeet than a buxom blonde brawler. Her figure has suffered, hips and chest seeming hollow comparisons to what once was. She frowns and grabs some pajamas to wear, then strips to take a long, needed shower. That, plus the food, and the rather nice morning, makes for a happy Yang. Or, at the very least, a somewhat less dejected Yang.

When she steps out into the living room looking her best in two months, her father's wide, silly grin makes her smile softly. "Hey dad."

* * *

"Hey! The girls all said he had nice legs!"

Yang giggles, "Yeah, sure he did, dad."

"He did! Besides, that's not even the best part! See, then we-"

Port's leg slams onto the table, cutting him off. "Like what you see?"

All four of them laugh as Port falls over. Yang snorts and covers her mouth, Oobleck just chuckles and watches Port stumble to his feet with a boisterous chortle. Taiyang holds his hand up, laughing as he tries to continue his story. "S-so, there we were, standing in the auditorium, looking at Qrow, wearing a skirt. Then Oz tells everyone, 'It's time to work on our landing strategy!'"

Yang bursts out into laughter with the other three, trying to imagine her uncle in that position. Oobleck calms and quickly nods. "The Branwen twins have always been interesting, to say the least!"

"That didn't stop dad," Yang retorts, red in the face from laughter. Port points to her and chuckles, nodding vigorously and obviously trying to say something between laughs. Taiyang's face goes red and he rubs the back of his head, embarrassed. "Dad kinda reminds me of Jaune!"

"Mr. Arc, right, right!" Oobleck says with a nod. "I can see the resemblance! Let us hope Ms. Valkyrie is not the next subject of his charms, hm?"

"Oh like Ren would let that happen," Yang says with a giggle, leaning back and trying to ignore the growing pit in her chest.

"I had no idea the first years were filled with so much romantic tension," Port says with an amused lilt in his voice, chuckling. "I should have expected it though, how Ms. Schnee looks at Ms. Rose when nobody's looking."

"Total tsundere," Yang adds with an understanding nod.

"Yes, yes, whatever that means," Oobleck responds, nodding and sipping from his mug with a smile as Yang and Taiyang both snicker at the professors.

"It's a Mistral thing," Taiyang says, smirking as the professors look at him in curiosity. "Yang makes me watch it sometimes."

"Oh please, you _begged_ me to watch season 2 of-"

"They ended it on a cliffhanger! I couldn't just ignore it!"

The four laugh loudly, Taiyang embarrassingly rubbing his neck as Port sits up in his seat. "Cliffhanger? Is that what they're calling it these days? I bet ol' Oz would love them!"

"What, because he likes cliffs?" Oobleck asks with a knowing smile as the four laugh and Port wipes his eyes of tears.

"I think he just likes throwing us off them," Yang says with a silly smile, giggling to herself.

"When he deals with hundreds of hormonal students each with the skills of a dozen soldiers, I suppose I can't blame him!" Oobleck chuckles, smiling and sipping from his mug.

Yang silently watches the three socialize, smiling softly but starting to lose focus of the conversation. Slowly, her eyes dim and she finds herself looking out at the living room through the kitchen archway. It's gotten dark, and on the coffee table sits the mechanical arm that will lead her to her future. Her smile slowly disappears and she loses focus yet again, thinking back on her former team, and on team Juniper.

The conversation dies down as Port looks to Yang with concern, and the other two men look over as well. She seems lost in her own little world, looking at the wall with a blank expression and an unfocused gaze. Taiyang frowns and stands up from his place on the counter. "I'll go get her to bed, then we can talk, alright?"

Port nods and Oobleck sighs, sipping from his mug. Yang still hasn't noticed, lost in thought or uncaring to the now solemn atmosphere in the room. Taiyang picks her up and carries her upstairs, Oobleck and Port looking at each other with worry.

"The poor girl," Oobleck says quietly as he shakes his head. "One would hope to have more time before experiencing such events."

Port nods, hands clasped together on the table as her thinks, brows furrowed. "Miss Xiao Long isn't the only one injured, but by far the most severe, besides… Miss Nikos."

"There is plenty more work to be done, Peter, but this is _why_ we teach, this is why I will continue to teach. We can't let something like this stop us, even if Beacon is still a long way from returning to its former glory."

"There was never any doubt, Bart, and Mistral was not built in a day, we all need rest from time to time."

Oobleck nods as Taiyang reenters the kitchen with a noticeably more somber expression. "Well, now that she's asleep, I uh… wanted to ask you guys something." He sits as the two professors look to him with curiosity, waiting to hear what he's going to ask. "Well… I've told you about the two, uh… Incidents, with Yang, right?"

They both nods, and Taiyang continues nervously. "I'll admit I'm not a total expert on semblances, and was wondering why hers seems to be… stronger than it used to be."

Oobleck frowns, taking a long sip from his mug. "Given the incident, as described by Miss Xiao Long herself, Adam's slice cut directly through her aura." He pauses in silent apology when Taiyang winces. "While her aura is no smaller, perhaps her semblance has tailored itself to her missing arm?"

"How so?"

"It may, theoretically, be treating the dismemberment as a constant… 'injury' sustained by her. That is how her semblance works, correct?"

Taiyang shrugs, shaking his head in defeat. "I honestly don't know. But if what you're saying is true, her semblance is, at the basic level, now as powerful as if she were constantly heavily injured?"

Port speaks up in confusion. "If her semblance is constantly treating her wound as an injury, would that not influence her behaviour, as well?"

Oobleck nods solemnly. "It is a possibility. I would suggest some sort of testing, but I would not want that for your daughter."

Taiyang sighs and nods slightly. "Thanks, you two. You're always welcome here, you know?"

"The pleasure is ours, Tai," Port replies with a pat on the shoulder. "I hesitate to ask, but is there any word from young Miss Rose?"

"Not yet."

"Have you thought about going after her?" Oobleck asks, leaning forward. "Trying to bring her home?"

"You know I can't do that, Bart…"

Oobleck frowns and quickly nods, standing with Port and both bowing graciously to him, taking their leave. Taiyang frowns, now effectively alone in the dark household. He shambles upstairs and past his daughters' rooms, but stops when he hears a voice call to him. Turning, he quickly runs into Yang's room to see if she's alright.

She stares at him with empty eyes, the box containing her future in her lap.

"Dad… I… Wanted to talk with you about something."

Taiyang gulps, closing the bedroom door behind him and quickly moving to sit beside Yang on her now much cheaper bed. "About what, honey?"

"About… I… Want you to look for Ruby."

"What? Yang, I'm not-"

"I heard what you guys were saying downstairs, a-and I don't want to keep holding you back."

"Yang." He says sternly, wrapping an arm around her. "I am not leaving, okay?"

"But, I was thinking maybe I could stay with Doctor Oobleck, or Professor Port, while you go look! T-then I can train, and you don't have to be so tired all the time, and won't have to worry about me burning the house down, a-and stuff like that."

Taiyang frowns, holding his daughter close and sighing. "They're busy with Beacon, and even if they weren't, I'd constantly worry about you and if you were okay. Worrying about one daughter is enough stress for me, okay?" He says with a sad laugh.

"But you worry about me anyway! Wouldn't it be better if you're at least with Ruby instead? She's the one out doing dangerous stuff."

Her father sighs again, setting his head on hers. "No can do, kiddo. When you're ready to start your life back up again and stop moping, I'll go out and look for Ruby, but until then, you can't blame me for worrying."

Yang sighs, nestling herself into Taiyang's side. "Fine. Tomorrow, I'll try out the arm, and then… I dunno. Try hugging like a normal person again?"

"Pretty sure you'd crush me, Yang."

"Like I don't already?"

The two softly laugh, Yang sniffling a bit and holding her father close.

"Just… Dad, I don't think I can handle seeing you like this because of me. If… If I can learn to be okay again and you can find Ruby again, then everything will be better for you!"

"Will it be better for _you_ , Yang?"

"It'll be better if I never see Ruby again," Yang replies with a sad scowl, burying herself under her cheap blankets.

Taiyang sighs and pats the large form under the blankets. "Please sleep this time. We have a busy day tomorrow."

* * *

Yang looks at the metal arm, finally attaching it fully with a wince as her aura flows onto it like a piece of clothing. With an almost silent whir, Yang makes a fist, eyes wide and teary. Now that it has adjusted to her, the whirring stops and each intricate movement becomes more and more natural. She can't feel anything, of course, but it's an amazing sight to behold. She stands up from her bed, holding her metal palm out in front of her and clenching each finger individually.

Yang's lilac eyes dance with a fiery red as she wonders how hard this thing can punch.

She shakes her head, walking downstairs and gliding her mechanical hand along the railing, finding the counterbalance natural and nostalgic. She lands with a spring in her step, smiling brightly and sauntering into the kitchen, taking a seat across from her smiling father.

"How's it feel?"

"Not… too bad. It's lighter than I thought it'd be."

"Good. Great! Now we can get started."

"With hugs?"

"I meant sparring, but that works too."

Yang softly giggles, holding her new hand over her mouth. "Hugs first, spars second."

Taiyang chuckles and stands up, holding his arms out. Yang walks over and hugs him tightly, crushing his aura out of love.

"O-okay there, d-definitely a strong hugger," he manages to shakily say, Yang letting him go to catch his breath. "Hoooo, okay, I'm a _teensy_ bit scared of sparring now, but I brought this on myself."

Yang grins and laughs, punching him in the shoulder with her real arm and following him outside. Taiyang gets into a combat stance with a bright smile, and Yang follows his example, muscle memory kicking in as she gets into a perfect boxing-style stance, lowering her center of gravity and preparing herself for exhilaration she hasn't felt since-

Since…

Yang shakes her head quickly, blonde hair waving about in the wind. She can't think about that, not right now. Instead, she rushes forwards, leading with her killer right cross with a bit more speed and momentum than she expected, her father just barely managing to fold himself to the left to avoid what could have likely sent him flying. Muscle memory lets her instinctively spin out of the way to avoid the counterattack to her stomach. She starts throwing quicker punches, trying to catch Taiyang in any place she can. Her left arm is suddenly pulled, and she falls forward, Taiyang holding her wrist and throwing her to the ground.

"Well," he starts, catching his breath and helping his daughter up. "For staying in bed for, oh, three months, you're still one hell of a fighter."

"I learned from the best!" She replies with a grin. "Still, that's the fastest I've gone down in, like, ever. Ever ever!"

"Well that's what we're here to do, right? I've got some pointers for ya anyway, all the way back from your fights in the tournament."

"Huh?"

"Well yeah, you think I wasn't watching?" He replies with a small laugh. "Anyway, you use your semblance too much, and I want to work on that with you before I go follow Ruby!"

"You _scared_ of it?" She finds herself spitting out without thought, shocked at the irritation in her own voice. At Taiyang's slightly concerned look that locks with her gaze, she realizes her eyes must be red. "Uh, sorry."

Taiyang frowns and rubs the back of his head. "Yeah, I kind of want to work on that too."

"I heard what you guys were saying about my semblance. If it really is messing with me a bit, then maybe I could see Oobleck about it? He seems like he knows a lot about that stuff."

"Yeah… Yeah, I'll talk to him about it sometime. Anyway! Should we keep going?"

"Hell yeah!" She says, slamming her fists together and reveling in the familiar motions.

"That's my girl!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes here!  
**

 **This one got a teeny bit out of control, I've been trying to resolve a glitch with the site that makes it so this story won't update, which means new people aren't finding it. Regardless, I appreciate all the follows I've gotten so far, and I'd love suggestions on how to go about this!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3_**

 **Annoyance**

* * *

Yang smiles, reading a book on kicking styles and martial arts techniques in bed as the smell of cooking chicken reaches her nose. She grins wider and flips the page, kicking her legs quietly in anticipation for lunch. She had nearly forgotten how weird it was to be able to eat so much and then burn it all off. She already started looking like her old self, taking better care of her hair and general hygiene, as well as trying to start smiling more. Apparently if you smile enough, you start to feel happy!

It didn't ever work for Yang.

He father calls her name, startling her into dropping her heavy book. It hits the floor with a loud _bang_ , and Yang yelps, the rush as she leaps at Adam returning and the intense pain of dismemberment flaring up in her arm. She cries out accidentally, holding herself tightly with her one arm and her one _fake attachment_. She immediately starts trembling, heart pounding as her body seems to suddenly get colder and colder, adrenaline from that moment seeping into her veins.

* * *

Yang hops backward, taking a defensive stance as her father charges at her. She raises her arms and suddenly lowers herself, sweeping her leg out to trip him. She misses, but the unexpected move leaves him open for an overhead punch, smashing his jaw into the ground. Yang jumps onto him and pummels him.

"Okay, okay!" He groans, Yang smiling brightly and standing up. She helps him up, and he holds his jaw. "Two weeks and you're already learning how to stay unpredictable. Color me impressed!"

"Impressed isn't a color."

"It's an expression!"

Yang snickers, slamming her fists together. "I'm messing with ya, dad."

Taiyang crosses his arms, playfully pouting. "Yeah, yeah. One more round before dinner?"

Yang grins and heaves a quick jab, catching him in the shoulder. He smirks and throws a heavy kick with impressive speed, but Yang has memorized how to deal with an attack from that angle, grabbing his ankle midair and using her strength and his own momentum to throw him across the yard. She looks down at her hands, both impressed and just a tiny bit scared. Even after losing muscle from her months of depression, she's found her natural strength to be worryingly greater than it has before. It's not just in her mechanical arm either, which makes her think that it's her semblance…

Yang's thoughts are interrupted by a punch to the face, and she quickly spins around to perform a powerful roundhouse kick, followed up immediately by a flurry of punches. Her father leaps back, and Yang follows him with a colossal uppercut that sends him back a few feet. Learning from her mistake, she is instantly applying pressure once more, throwing heavy crosses and jabs with her seemingly endless endurance.

Taiyang blocks her swings, grabbing her wrist and slamming her into the ground. Before he can attack, though, she twists herself to grab his ankle, pulling him down and jumping to her feet. The spar continues for another five minutes, with both giving their full attention and trading blows. Yang has quickly learned that her father prefers a style closer to wrestling, often grappling or throwing her rather than throwing constant punches and kicks. In a struggle to avoid activating her semblance, though, Yang finds herself on her back and gasping for air.

"Dinner?" The man standing above her asks.

"Dinner."

Taiyang smiles and helps his daughter up to her feet, and the two share a weak hug, exhausted from weeks of training. He heads inside, and Yang follows, the wonderful smells of his home cooking lingering across the whole house. They smile at each other, and Taiyang walks into the kitchen, while Yang stays behind for a moment to look around the house.

She noticed this morning, how her father's smile had changed. He had started typing on his scroll from the minute he woke up to the moment Yang wanted to spar. He's preparing to leave for Haven, to find Ruby, he just hasn't told her yet. It's what she wanted, right? Yet, her father started seeming happy again, now that Yang had finally shown progress. He wasn't worrying as much about her anymore, just like she wanted!

So why did it still hurt to think about him leaving to find Ruby? Yang frowns, looking down at the floor. It was because he had stopped worrying, that now the house was lively again, a place to happily live, rather than a bland prison of anxieties and failures.

She sighs quietly and walks into the kitchen with a silly grin plastered on her face that never reached her eyes. She sits casually in her chair, leaning on the table and looking to her father, who is still getting all the food together with a slightly sadder smile than usual. He brings the plates to the table and sits across from her.

"Thanks for today, dad, it was a lot of fun."

"No problem, sweetheart," he says with more affection than usual, a fact that makes her stomach turn and her smile strain. She ignores the feelings and starts eating the lovingly cooked vegetables and steak. How he could make such varied food on a teacher's budget, she could never know. After only a few bites, she hears Taiyang sigh, and looks up expectantly.

"I've, uh, been talking with Oobleck," he starts with a smile equally as strained as her own. "They've been making some good progress on the places most heavily damaged near Beacon."

"Oh?" She asks, taking another bite of her steak and ignoring the vegetables until last, as always.

"Yeah. So, because of that, both him and Port are freer than they used to be. So… Now that you're doing better and have learned most of what you can from me…"

"You wanna go find Ruby?" She asks with as much excitement as she can muster.

"Yeah. I know what you said about Ruby, too, and air travel is being heavily restricted, so I was wondering what you wanted to do. I'd love for you to come with, but I _might_ worry a bit less if you stayed in Vale."

"I'll stay," Yang replies with a firm nod and a smile, taking a big bite of steak. "I've wanted to get out, anyway. Patch is great and all but nothing compares to Vale. I can stay with Oobleck or Port, yeah?"

"Well you are eighteen, you know. You can find a place to live if you want!"

"I'm eighteen?"

"Yeah, you forgot?"

"I, uh..." She frowns a bit. "My birthday was during _that_ time, so, uh, yeah, kinda did."

"Ah," he says awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "W-well, regardless. You're strong enough to live on your own, but I have talked to Bart about letting you rest at his place. They still don't have the time to train you or watch you like I do, but you'll have a place to stay and people to talk to that you know."

"I'm not _that_ antisocial, dad."

"Yeah, yeah, but you haven't talked to anyone but me and those guys in months. I wouldn't blame you for needing to get used to socializing again!"

Yang rolls her eyes playfully and finishes off her steak. "You better come right the hell back here when you find her, mister!"

"Yes ma'am," he replies with a chuckle. "I can only discipline someone so much, you're my enforcer."

"Heck yeah I am. I'm like your bodyguard."

"I can beat you in a fight, Yang."

"Yeah but I'm like, like the mini-boss you gotta fight before you fight the _actual_ boss, you!"

The two share a lightly relieved laugh, and Taiyang sighs happily. "I'm so happy you're feeling better, kiddo."

"Me too," she lies with a smile.

* * *

"Miss Xiao Long!"

"Just call me Yang, sir."

"Oh, then you must call me Bart!"

"Bart is kind of a dorky name, sir."

"Then it's rather fitting, isn't it?" Oobleck jokes, elbowing her as she steps inside the Bullhead. She giggles, sitting down beside him.

"Didn't know my history teacher was self-deprecating."

"And I didn't know my student assumed 'dorky' to be a negative trait!"

Yang snorts, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms. "It totally is. Anyway, what is your place like?"

The Bullhead takes off and flies, Yang looking to Oobleck and smiling. He pushes his glasses up and smiles slightly in response. "It is a rather basic apartment. I've bought a second bed for you, of course, couldn't have my guest resting on the couch!"

"Huh. Thanks for that, Bart," she responds with a smile, trying not to laugh every time she says his name. Why is it so funny to her? Sounds like something out of a kids' book.

She spends the rest of the long flight chatting with Oobleck about old stories and places in Vale. She's taken a liking to Oobleck ever since he led her and the rest of team RWBY through Mountain Glenn, and she's come to respect his knowledge. She's never been one for that sort of thing, and her bad grades in his class were the source of endless stress, but outside of teaching he's a rather chipper person, and strangely good with teenagers. One doesn't work in a school with them for years without being at least somewhat good at working with teens, she guesses.

Wait, then how did _Goodwitch_ of all people get a job there?

The Bullhead lands just as Yang finishes off a discussion about Port's mustache. She stands up and steps out, with Oobleck following her. Her new heavy coat cuts a much more intimidating figure, complemented by thick boots, gloves, and black pants. She shows no skin besides her face, a fact that would have been hideous to the Yang of a year ago, dark aviator sunglasses cover her vivid lilac eyes, and the thick gauntlets of her inactive Ember Celica complete her look.

She cracks the knuckles on her left hand and smirks at the view of the oh so familiar city of Vale. Crowded beyond belief, the pair landed near the coastline on a large military outpost guarding the city. Sunset is fast approaching, but it's still bright enough for Yang to not look stupid in her sunglasses. Two guards salute the pair and escort them out onto the streets of Vale, where the ever-swift Oobleck nods to her and zooms through the streets, Yang barely managing to follow him.

She stumbles through the crowds and into a more remote area of Vale, nearer to Beacon than most would be comfortable with. A small apartment building stands alone on a street leading to Beacon, a short white building three stories tall, with a look that reminds Yang of Weiss, the area around it seeming cleaner and the entire building giving off an aura of professionalism. Oobleck watches her study it, and firmly nods. "If you can find a paying job, I am sure you would be allowed to rent a room. There are many vacancies."

"Is this from Atlas or something?"

"Quite. As the professors from Beacon lived on campus, the fall meant that we were left without homes. As one of many parting gifts, this building was constructed to cheaply house the staff, and any else who were brave enough to live so close to the Grimm-infested school."

Yang nods and smirks, stepping inside with Oobleck and looking around. Similar to the outside, the lobby is remarkably shiny and white, though the front desk is empty. Oobleck sighs, leading Yang up to the second floor and into his apartment, a large orderly room with three connecting rooms. One bathroom, two bedrooms. The kitchen, living area, office, and storage are all sadly forced into a single room, much to Oobleck's dismay. "I like it!" She exclaims with a grin. "Which room's mine?"

Oobleck smiles slightly, obviously expecting a more negative reaction. "The one to the left. Your father sent over your clothing and repair tools, but I haven't unpacked them yet, so they'll be in there. I am aware that you may need certain… hygienic products, which your father forgot to send, so I bought some myself. I must say, it was more embarrassing than I thought it would be!"

Yang nearly doubles over laughing at the thought of Oobleck awkwardly standing across from a cashier and buying nothing but a pack of tampons. Still though, that was incredibly sweet of him, and Yang quickly hugs him. "Thank you, Bart. I'll pay you back, I promise!"

Oobleck clumsily chuckles, patting Yang's back and pushing up his glasses in embarrassment. "Yes, yes, but there's no rush! I'm happy to help, Miss Xiao… Yang."

Yang smiles and lets the awkward professor go, putting her hands on her hips and grinning. "I am SO going out tomorrow, it's been FOREVER!"

Oobleck smiles, hands behind his back. "Yes, well, please do be back before nightfall! I am fairly sure your father would have me killed if something were to happen to you, Yang."

Yang's eyes flash red but she ignores the rush of irritation, smiling through it and sighing. "Welp, I'm tired. Thank you again, Bart, I will pay you back, you know?"

"Goodnight, Yang."

"'Night!"

Yang retreats into her room, taking off all of her complex gear and setting her coat, boots, gloves, and glasses by the door. She pulls off her pants and undershirt, tossing them into a pile in the corner, and sits down on the somewhat comfortable bed. Her room is dark, lacking a light, but the large box in one corner, the wardrobe, and the dresser all come together to give the room a small but cozy feeling. She takes off her right arm and sets it on the dresser by her bed, sighing quietly at the stump of an arm remaining. She had painted her prosthetic a bright yellow to match her hair, despite not wanting to show it off.

Just a reminder of what once was, of what she used to be. Bright like the sun.

Yang's glowing eyes of scarlet narrow, and she lays back, cruelly imagining what her life would be like, if this horror was nothing but a nightmare.

* * *

Silver eyes. Two pairs of silver eyes filled with such caring and hope.

Blue eyes. Two pairs of blue eyes filled with confliction and indecision.

Red eyes. Two pairs of red eyes filled with complete disinterest.

One pair of amber eyes, filled with hatred and contempt.

 _Why did she leave me?_

* * *

Yang stretches, still in her pajamas, hunched over on the couch as she lazily eats a small container of microwavable noodles. _Truly a wonderful breakfast_. She smirks at her own thoughts, sitting back and sipping the hot broth with a content smile. Five in the morning, the room still dark, only lit by the soft streetlights outside, and Yang is in her pajamas, in her professor's apartment, eating microwave noodles.

If Yang from a year ago could only see her now, _hoo boy._

She finishes her food and stands, walking into her bedroom and gathering up her clothes for the day. Finally, she grabs some nice white und- **_nope_**. As Yang leans down to grab the pair of undies, Mother Nature slams her in the stomach with a baseball bat and she silently thanks Oobleck as she rushes to the bathroom with very black underwear and pants to take a much needed shower.

As she steps out of the shower and dresses herself _(as well as putting her arm back on),_ she looks into the small circular mirror, making sure she doesn't have any sleep in her eyes. Since her training with Taiyang she's begun to look healthier, but her pale complexion and less unkempt hair combined with her coat, gloves, and boots almost makes her look like a completely different person. It's still undeniably _Yang_ , but she smirks lightly at the new look, putting her sunglasses in one of many pockets and stepping back out into the living room, smiling and leaving a note with her scroll number written on it, having just now remembered that her host doesn't actually have her number.

With a smirk, Yang steps out onto the streets of Vale. She didn't bring along her motorcycle, given there's no place to put it, so she just takes a stroll, a spring in her step. It's a good feeling, to be back on such familiar streets, and Yang soon finds herself back at Junior's club, smiling out of nostalgia. She glances to the two men guarding the entrance, obviously new given how they haven't run inside yet. Three or so months gone and they've already forgotten her, eh?

Just like everyone else.

Yang softly chuckles at her dreary thoughts, walking away from the club. It's only now that she realizes how thankful she is for her new outfit, the harsh winter air threatening to make her face go numb. She'd usually power a little warmth into her aura with her semblance, but to avoid setting a fire on her first day back, she decides to instead pop into a coffee shop that had opened minutes ago, the sun not yet over the horizon.

A bell jingles, and Yang is greeted be a young woman in a maid's uniform. She raises an eyebrow and looks back at the window curiously. "This one of _those_ coffee shops?"

The woman audibly flusters, waving her hands to get Yang's attention. "N-no I'm an actual maid! Normally nobody comes in this early so the, um, barista isn't around yet! I'm sorry!"

Yang waves her hand dismissively, smirking. "Just needed a place to stay warm for a bit. I'll wait for the barista, no prob."

The young maid, who Yang just now notices is a deer faunus, smiles and nods brightly. Yang chuckles to herself and finds a seat near the back, liking the cozy feelings of the shop as she leans back in her chair and sighs, cracking her neck.

After nearly half an hour, the barista finally arrives, face flushing when he notices a customer already here. He's no older than 25, though probably a bit older than Yang, the poor man, and he moves behind the counter. "Sorry ma'am, was running late today! Would you like something to drink?"

Yang stands and walks over to the man, who finally notices her heavy yellow gauntlets, inactive but still very imposing. "Large iced mocha, no ice." Yes, it's a contradiction but no, Yang doesn't care. The barista nods and makes the drink quickly, handing it to her as she sets down some of the Lien left over from Beacon. "Thanks."

Receiving a nod, Yang walks back to her table, heavy boots making the wooden floorboards beneath her shake and strain. She sits and starts quickly drinking the coffee with a bored glance out the window. The sun has since risen, and Yang feels her scroll vibrate. She takes it out and reads the new message from an unknown number.

 _[This is Bartholomew Oobleck.]_

Charming as ever. Yang rolls her eyes and types up a response. _[And this is Yang XL, gonna guess u found my number note?]_

 _[Indeed. Where are you right now?]_

 _[This coffee shop with a maid and stuff, don't worry.]_

 _[I see. I was not aware there were coffee shops like that in Vale.]_

 _[Me neither! :P]_

 _[Regardless, Peter and I are going to be working to help secure Beacon once more. Please be back by 11 PM, Yang.]_

 _[Yessir]_

Yang grins, putting her scroll away and looking up as a few people finally start coming into the coffee shop. With a small stretch, she finishes her nice, chocolatey iced coffee, and rests in her seat. Her eyes slightly flicker, and her left hand forms a tight fist, but she maintains a calm demeanor as she thinks.

About Raven.

About Ruby.

About Blake.

She smirks, walking out of the coffee shop with a plan.


End file.
